Battle On The Midway Event Lacking Sponors, In Danger Of Being Cancelled

The men's basketball game between San Diego State Univ. and Syracuse Univ. on the deck of a retired aircraft carrier billed as the Battle on the Midway is "in jeopardy of being called off, although a final decision isn’t expected for another day or two," according to sources cited by Mark Zeigler of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. Fox Sports VP/Communications Chris Bellitti said, "We're in discussions with the schools and we're optimistic we can find a solution. We still want to produce and televise the game on the Midway as planned." Zeigler notes the Battle on the Midway was planned as part of a Veterans Day weekend that "included a fan fest along with a concert and gala to benefit Barry Zito’s Strikeouts For Troops foundation." But after San Diego Sports Commission President Al Kidd, one of the "driving forces behind the event, left the organization," the fan fest, concert and gala "all were canceled in the past month." That leaves the Battle on the Midway as the lone event. While there is a deal with FS San Diego "to produce and distribute the game nationally," promoters have "yet to announce any national sponsors -- the lifeblood of any one-off event with a modest seating capacity." Tickets for the game "are upwards of $1,000; the game is not sold out, although tickets have not yet been offered to the general public." Sources said that FS San Diego, SDSU and Syracuse "have been frantically trying to arrange enough financial backing to salvage a game that is a mere five weeks away." One option to "save the game would be to move it off the aircraft carrier to a larger indoor venue to create more revenue" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 10/5).